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Application of a Novel Class of Seed Maturation Protein Genes and their Product to Enhance Tolerance toward Salinity and Drought Stresses in Plants

Summary

Salinity and drought stresses posed a severe problem to agriculture worldwide. Both stresses will lead to physiological drought and cause damage to plant cells, resulting in retarded plant growth and consequently a reduction in crop yield. We characterized a novel seed maturation protein gene. Its gene product is unrelated to the late-embryogenesis assoicated (LEA) proteins and contains conserved motif of a co-chaperone. The gene expression is induced in the seeds that have entered their maturation stage. The high level of gene expression in dry mature seeds decreases during imbibition. In vegetative tissues such as leaves, its gene expression is induced by NaCl treatment. Expression of this gene in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana and rice can improve salinity and drought tolerance. Therefore, this novel class of seed maturation protein gene and their gene products can be used to improve salt and drought tolerance in plants, cell cultures, and cell lines.

Supplementary Information

Inventor: Lam, Hon-Ming | Sun, Samuel Sai Ming | Shao, Gui Hua
Priority Number: US7939711B2
IPC Current: C12N001582
US Class: 800278 | 435468
Assignee Applicant: The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Title: Abiotic stress tolerance conferred by J-domain containing proteins
Usefulness: Abiotic stress tolerance conferred by J-domain containing proteins
Summary: The recombinant nucleic acid construct is useful for protecting plants or plant cells from abiotic stress by modifying the plants or plant cells to produce a heterologous protein comprising a DnaJ-type J-domain; selecting for successful transformed plant cells or plants; and producing a plant or a plant cell resistant to abiotic stress by modifying a plant or a plant cell to express a protein comprising DnaJ-type J-domain (all claimed).
Novelty: New recombinant nucleic acid construct encodes a protein comprising a DnaJ-type J-domain, useful for protecting plants from abiotic stress and for producing plants resistant to abiotic stress, e.g. enhanced salinity

Industry

Agriculture

Sub Category

Plant

Application No.

06/SCI/232

Others

Inventor(s): Professor Lam Hon Ming, Department of Biology

Patent Status:  US Patent Pending  Chinese Patent Pending  HK Standard Patent Pending

Country/Region

Hong Kong